Argentina 1 England 0 And More World Cup Thoughts

Good to see Carlos Tevez and Gary Neville doing their bit to improve Argentina - England relations. No love lost between the two countries, either in the football sense or politically, but I have to say that Carlos Tevez certainly came out best in that little contretemps.Speaking to ESPN Argentina, Tevez is quoted as saying:"He [Gary Neville] acted like a complete boot-licker when he said I http://bit.ly/6YuLXM

Arsenal vs Bolton Match Preview

Arsenal have Theo Walcott and Denilson back in contention, while Bolton Wanderers manager Owen Coyle has no new injury concerns.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is likely to bring Denilson back into the starting line-up in the absence of Alex Song, who is at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Out, however, are Samir Nasri, Aaron Ramsey, Robin Van [...] http://bit.ly/6bnx1d

Liverpool vs Tottenham Match Preview

Liverpool are missing Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard for the visit of a Tottenham Hotspur side who may have Ledley King back in the starting line-up.
King, who has been out for a number of weeks with knee injuries, could partner Michael Dawson at centre back. Sebastien Bassong is the player likely to miss out.
Definitely sidelined [...] http://bit.ly/5eHcWK

Campbell Sues Portsmouth

Sol Campbell has issued a writ against Portsmouth Football Club, claiming £1.7million in unpaid bonuses and fees.
A spokesman for Portsmouth confirmed receipt of the writ, saying: “The matter is being dealt with by our lawyers.”
This latest financial problem follows less than 24 hours after Portsmouth had an appeal to have HMRC’s winding-up order struck off [...] http://bit.ly/6Bi9Hl

West Ham Utd Transfer Rumours

Now that the two Davids : Sullivan and Gold, have taken over West Ham United, the tabloids are going mad speculating about who the club will sign in the transfer window.
In the ‘very unlikely’ file is the Daily Mirror’s suggestion that they will try to bring Fulham striker Bobby Zamora back to the club. Doubtful, [...] http://bit.ly/77WHyr

Sullivan and Gold Takeover Hammers

Former Birmingham City owners David Gold and David Sullivan have completed their takeover of West Ham United.
The duo have acquired a 50% stake in the club - valued at £105million - and have been joined by ex-Birmingham City managing director Karren Brady.
David Sullivan pronounced himself “in a state of shock” about finally taking over a [...] http://bit.ly/7ikLR0

No Suspension For Henry...But FIFA's Rules Look Ridiculous

It was to no-one's surprise at all that FIFA chose not to suspend Thierry Henry for the handball that saw France through to the World Cup Finals at the expense of the Republic of Ireland.The FIFA Disciplinary Committee could not suspend Henry because handling the ball to help your team score is not a 'serious infringement' of the rules and therefore cannot be punishable by suspension.Fair enough, http://bit.ly/6zwCf0

This Is A Local Team...For Local People

South Africa's Brazilian coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira has come out and said that the South Africa World Cup squad will be largely made up of locally based players.He is quoted as saying:“The team that will play in the World Cup will be made up by 65-70 per cent of locally-based players. This is largely because the overseas-based players are not regulars in their teams. But the door will always http://bit.ly/4G4qLX

Could This Be The Reason Africa Doesn't Do That Well At World Cups

I found this extremely interesting article on how African nations use over-age players in tournaments. The author thinks this is preventing the development of players and could be the reason why African countries seemingly underperform at major tournaments.The argument he puts forward is that: because African nations use overage players in Under 21 and Under 18 tournaments, they are not http://bit.ly/8WSWN4

Players Who Really Shouldn't Be At the 2010 World Cup...But Just Might

You'll hear ex-players, with their cushy jobs as 'state-the-bloody-obvious' media pundits, bang on and on about needing experienced players in national squads who know what to do when the team is up against it.And, I concede, it's a fair point. However, what often happens is that managers end up playing safe and picking players that are way past their prime. I expect this World Cup Finals to be http://bit.ly/6kSBlF